Port project anticipates new business

Published: Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 12:40 a.m.

Where there was once open water now lies the new carved-out waterfront property in the northern expansion area of Port Fourchon that port officials said could create up to 1,000 jobs.

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission this week announced the latest phase of Slip C dredging is complete.

“It’s part of our master plan,” Director of Operations Davie Breaux said. “We were actually running out of waterfront property.”

The purpose of the slip is to accommodate the oil and gas industry. Breaux said it took the port two and a half years to permit and plan for Slip C after tenants cited the need for additional space.

“Additional vessels were being constructed for deep water oil and gas exploration. Tenants needed the additional room for when these new vessels come to work in the Gulf,” Breaux said.

High demand for oil is another reason for the expansion, said Jimmy Lafont, vice president of the Port Commission Board.

“More and more drilling is more of a demand, so they need more land-based operations,” he said.

When the entire Slip C development is completed, there will be a nearly $336-million, public-private investment in its infrastructure, port officials estimate.

The new slip is a 400-acre development that took two-and-a-half months to dredge. It is going to be 700 feet wide and 7,000 feet long. Once the adjacent property is developed, companies will be able to lease 280 acres of property along the slip.

“It’s going to take close to eight years to construct the entire development,” Breaux said. “In a year and a half from now, we probably will start using portions of it. As we build, people will be leasing.”

More than half of Slip C waterfront property is already promised to companies that have signed leases or have rights of first refusal. Edison Chouest Sure Base Services, Harvey Gulf, Danos and Schlumberger are some of the companies that have leased land.

“The property is a big demand. If they don’t grab it, somebody else will,” Lafont said. “It’s going to have some serious job growth. It’s going to create a lot of jobs. I think that it’s important to get as many people to work as we can.”

As a part of Port Commission’s mitigation plan, it has been recycling the dredge spoils that have been dug up.

“In Port Fourchon there is actually no dry land to build on, so when we dredge slips, we take that material and build property around the slip to be developed. We also take part of the material and create marsh as a part of our mitigation plan,” Breaux said.

Ninety percent of the port’s property was created from dredging. To date, half of Slip C’s dredged material has been used to fill in new property and half to create marsh in Harrison Cheramie Sanctuary, property the commission bought on the north side of the port a few years ago for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities.

The next phase in the project is to be determined. Breaux said port officials anticipate more projects to come in 2013.

“We are actually looking to upgrade our master plan to look for potential opportunities to upgrade and develop so we can continue growing the economic ability in the community and the region. It doesn’t just affect the small community but the whole region,” Breaux said.

The dredging of Slip C was funded by port-generated money and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s Port Priority Program. The Port Commission plans to continue financing the project through port money and state and federal grants as they become available.

Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 985-857-2204 or sable.lefrere@houamtoday.com.

<p>Where there was once open water now lies the new carved-out waterfront property in the northern expansion area of Port Fourchon that port officials said could create up to 1,000 jobs.</p><p>The Greater Lafourche Port Commission this week announced the latest phase of Slip C dredging is complete.</p><p>“It's part of our master plan,” Director of Operations Davie Breaux said. “We were actually running out of waterfront property.”</p><p>The purpose of the slip is to accommodate the oil and gas industry. Breaux said it took the port two and a half years to permit and plan for Slip C after tenants cited the need for additional space. </p><p>“Additional vessels were being constructed for deep water oil and gas exploration. Tenants needed the additional room for when these new vessels come to work in the Gulf,” Breaux said.</p><p>High demand for oil is another reason for the expansion, said Jimmy Lafont, vice president of the Port Commission Board.</p><p>“More and more drilling is more of a demand, so they need more land-based operations,” he said.</p><p>When the entire Slip C development is completed, there will be a nearly $336-million, public-private investment in its infrastructure, port officials estimate.</p><p>The new slip is a 400-acre development that took two-and-a-half months to dredge. It is going to be 700 feet wide and 7,000 feet long. Once the adjacent property is developed, companies will be able to lease 280 acres of property along the slip.</p><p>“It's going to take close to eight years to construct the entire development,” Breaux said. “In a year and a half from now, we probably will start using portions of it. As we build, people will be leasing.”</p><p>More than half of Slip C waterfront property is already promised to companies that have signed leases or have rights of first refusal. Edison Chouest Sure Base Services, Harvey Gulf, Danos and Schlumberger are some of the companies that have leased land.</p><p>“The property is a big demand. If they don't grab it, somebody else will,” Lafont said. “It's going to have some serious job growth. It's going to create a lot of jobs. I think that it's important to get as many people to work as we can.”</p><p>As a part of Port Commission's mitigation plan, it has been recycling the dredge spoils that have been dug up. </p><p>“In Port Fourchon there is actually no dry land to build on, so when we dredge slips, we take that material and build property around the slip to be developed. We also take part of the material and create marsh as a part of our mitigation plan,” Breaux said.</p><p>Ninety percent of the port's property was created from dredging. To date, half of Slip C's dredged material has been used to fill in new property and half to create marsh in Harrison Cheramie Sanctuary, property the commission bought on the north side of the port a few years ago for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities. </p><p>The next phase in the project is to be determined. Breaux said port officials anticipate more projects to come in 2013.</p><p>“We are actually looking to upgrade our master plan to look for potential opportunities to upgrade and develop so we can continue growing the economic ability in the community and the region. It doesn't just affect the small community but the whole region,” Breaux said.</p><p>The dredging of Slip C was funded by port-generated money and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's Port Priority Program. The Port Commission plans to continue financing the project through port money and state and federal grants as they become available.</p><p>Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 985-857-2204 or sable.lefrere@houamtoday.com.</p>